Cancer results when a vertebrate's own cells become malignant. Healthy individuals at any given time carry potentially malignant cells in their body. These cells are generally recognized and killed by the individuals' immune system. However, some malignant cells are not destroyed by the immune system and proliferate into tumors.
Currently, there are not adequate and specific therapies for cancer. For example, surgical excision of tumors is not an effective method of treatment where the cancer has metastasized. In addition, radiation and chemotherapy often kill normal cells in addition to cancerous cells.
Another problem is that chemotherapeutic agents follow first-order kinetics. As a result, a constant percentage, rather than a constant number of cells are killed by a given application of a chemotherapeutic agent. Consequently, malignant cells, which could cause a relapse in the disease, remain even when a patent is diagnosed as having complete clinical remission.
A method of suppressing cancer that employs the individual's own immune system would be useful.